One of the record experts has checked 140 of my bee records! I was surprised to see all of them verified.Sandpit Mining Bee, Small Flecked Mining Bee and Impunctate Mini-miner are new species for me. Turquoise Furrow Bee, Shiny-margined Mini-miner, Tormentil Mining Bee and the wasp Ceropales maculata are also new records for Mull and VC103.

I’m still waiting for one that another expert sent to a second expert for verification. Otherwise my bee records are up to date.

New records

Turquoise Furrow Bee (new for Mull but 1 record on Ardnamurchan and 1 near Oban) 2 at Treshnish wood waterfall NM358486 on 29/05/2018 (possibly same individual)

Tormentil Mining Bee (new for Mull but quite a few scattered records throughout Scotland) 1 at Treshnish Old Schoolhouse NM356486 on 08/06/2018

Sandpit Mining Bee (1 record for Mull from Loch Don area) 1 at Black Park, to east of east gate beside a bee nest bank on the eroded side of a runnel NM348482 on 23/05/2018

Small Flecked Mining Bee (1 record for Mull in Treshnish 10×10 km square). Previously I had only 3 Plausible records. 1 at Black Park east gate NM347482 on 30/05/2018

1 at Treshnish Old Schoolhouse NM356486 on 27/05/2018 (actually there were 2 but the second does not have good enough photos to submit)

Impunctate Mini-miner (3 previous records on Mull). Previously I had only 3 Plausible records. 1 at Black Park to west of highest hillock NM345482 on 07/06/2018

Also one new wasp species (new for Mull and uncommon in the UK, mostly coastal with no records for west coast Scotland north of the Clyde)Ceropales maculata 1 in Black Park at NM345482 on 13/08/2011 (that isn’t a typo it really is a record from 2011).

Other notable records

Hawthorn Mining Bee (as mentioned previously a rare bee in Scotland) 1 at NM358486 on 05/06/2018 (This had already been mentioned in a previous post as accepted by another independent expert)

1 at Treshnish wood Ensay Burn cattlegrid NM359485 on 28/05/2018

1 at Treshnish wood waterfall NM358486 on 27/05/2018

Smooth-faced Furrow Bee (previously I had only one Accepted and 1 Plausible) 2 at Treshnish wood Ensay Burn cattlegrid NM359485 on 06/06/2018 (possibly same individual) a b

2 at Treshnish wood waterfall NM358486 on 06/06/2018 (possibly same individual) a

b

1 at Treshnish wood waterfall NM358486 on 07/09/2018

Common Furrow Bee (my first female based on the presence of a male) 1 in nest burrow beside farm track to east of Treshnish wood Nissen Hut at NM355487 on 04/09/2018

Painted Mining Bee (previously I had only one Accepted) 2 at NM347482 on 28/05/2018
1 at NM356486 on 30/05/2018
1 at NM356486 on 06/06/2018
3 at NM356486 on 08/06/2018
4 at NM356486 on 12/06/2018
1 at NM345481 on 16/06/2018
1 at NM356486 on 21/06/2018
3 at NM356486 on 24/06/2018
2 at NM356486 on 25/06/2018
1 at NM356486 on 26/06/2018
1 at NM356486 on 27/06/2018
1 at NM356486 on 30/06/2018

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Birds of Treshnish and North Mull is a compilation of my personal observations from 2006-2012, public records on mullbirds website and published records. The Magazine format is £19.99 incl postage or as a pdf for £6.50 plus VAT here. The pdf is suitable for most e-book readers. The hardback (33x28cm) is available at cost price of £51.98 incl postage hereIf you buy one, a second is then offered for 30% off, so it makes sense to buy with a friend.

The book would have been incomplete without the records submitted by Mull birders, either to the Argyll Bird Club or to Alan Spellman at mullbirds website and also the valuable work of the Treshnish Isles Auk Ringing Group. To all those I give my thanks.

The hardback book is 72 pages and the magazine is 92 pages both with photos of 60 species. It is basically a list of records by species up until December 2012, arranged so the most detail is given to the most scarce. Records of uncommon species are often arranged by season and site. Species status is given for both Treshnish and (where different) north Mull and, where relevant, labelled by rarity within Mull, Argyll and Scotland.

An appendix gives lists of the species which the newcomer might be surprised to learn are rarities on Mull and Argyll, some of which need detailed description to gain acceptance. North Mull birders are still looking for a Lesser Whitethroat!